Small Coal-Mining Town Makes Comeback Under Trump Presidency

One of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises was to bring jobs back to the coal-mining industry that former President Barack Obama did his best to destroy.

One thing Trump did in February to help coal-mining communities was to roll back the Stream Protection Rule, which limited companies from dumping mining waste into streams. The rule was Obama’s parting shot not only at coal companies but at the communities they support.

One of those communities was Hazard, Kentucky, a small town with a population of just over 5,000. Fox News reported that during the Obama administration, 460 workers at the E4-1 mine were laid off. Since Trump rolled back environmental regulations, 90 of them have returned to work.

Carlos Sturdill, who worked in a mine that was shut down during Obama’s presidency, is one of those who will be going to back to work.

“I’m glad to be working. I’m thankful I’ve got a job again,” he said, according to Fox News.

An estimated 36,800 coal miners in the country lost their jobs after the Obama administration implemented strict regulations. Since Trump took office, 300 of them have been re-hired. While that may not seem like much, it’s a comeback that members of the community are willing to take as a good sign for the future.

National Mining Association spokesman Luke Popovic said the move was important to revive communities like Hazard whose economies buckled under the collapse of the coal-mining industry. With fewer miners working, less money circulates, and that’s bad for virtually every business in town.

“This is one very, very important step to get coal back on its feet and stop the hemorrhaging of jobs that we’ve seen,” he said, according to Fortune.

It’s good to see Trump undoing some of the damage Obama has done. Some of Obama’s messes will take longer to clean up than others, but it’s good to know that the president is following through on his word and working to bring jobs to communities that desperately need them.